I'm really into strong, female roles - but they don't have to necessarily be loud - I'm just as interested in introverts too.

The first episodes I actually read for 'Downton,' Sybil was really intimidated and hadn't come into her own. So it's only in Series Two that she's become so headstrong. In general, I find it exciting to play strong, female roles because they're shocking.

Strong female leads are important.

I want to keep playing strong female roles. I don't mean superheroes, but women who are really alive.

I'm naturally athletic, and I think playing strong, female roles just kind of happened.

I don't try and write strong female characters or strong male characters, I just try and write, hopefully, strong characters and sometimes they happen to be female.